Progressive Corp. has filed separate patent-infringementlawsuits against Hartford Financial Services and State Farm overusage-based auto insurance.

Like Progressive's “Pay As you Drive” program, the competing auto insurers alsohave products that obtain data on driving characteristics in orderto determine a rating, the insurer claims in court filings in U.S.District Court in Ohio: Hartford has a program it calls “TrueLane”;State Farm calls its usage-based program “Drive Safe &Save.”

And like Progressive's program, the other insurers'onboard-telematics devices gather such information as mileage,speed, acceleration, time of day, trip duration and turns. Theinsurers' alleged infringement of Progressive's patent “willcontinue to cause damage and irreparable harm to Progressive untilenjoined by the court,” says the Mayfield Village, Ohio-basedinsurer.

The carrier says it gave notice of the patent infringements toHartford and State Farm, making the companies' alleged continuedinfringement “willful.”

The Hartford denies Progressive's allegations and intends todefend the lawsuit, says Hartford spokesman Thomas Hambrick.

Previously, Progressive sued Allstate and Liberty Mutual forpatent infringement. The Allstate suit was settled, with Allstate agreeing to buycertain patent portfolios from the plaintiff.